From extra-expensive splurges to budget buys, no beauty launch is safe from Glossy Picks!
We don't discriminate here at Get The Gloss; whether a product is pocket money price or is something we have to save up for months for, we'll try them all. This week we've reviewed new launches from some of the biggest names in beauty ranging from high street heroes to high end buys - and everything in between.
Garden of Wisdom C-Deep Vitamin C Serum, £18 for 30ml
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
"There are so many vitamin C products on the market, do we really need another - and how is this one different? Well, you’re only as good as your absorbability - fancy ingredients are no good if they don’t get to where they can be effective - and this serum from ingredient-led brand Garden of Wisdom says it goes in deeper and faster than your usual water-based vitamin C serums because it’s in oil-soluble form (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate if you like the science, blended into squalane oil) and so is able to penetrate the lipid layer just above the dermis. It’s also said to be an incredibly stable form of vitamin C. What I love about this is that it makes vitamin C so easy to use - many creams can be thick, grainy and stingy, while this is really lovely to wear every day for brightening and environmental protection. It’s fragrance-free too. If you’re prone to sensitivity this is worth a try. Tip: apply it over your water-based products. I always put an essence on first for added hydration."
Ciate London Watermelon Nourishing Lip Oil, £11.20 for 10ml
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, digital designer
"If there’s one thing that brings me down about winter weather, it’s for sure my dry, chapped lips. I become obsessive over it, slapping on layers of lip balm scrubbing until sore and nothing seems to do the trick and my lipstick just won’t stick. That was until I tried this lip oil. It actually nourishes and deeply hydrates my lip as opposed to sitting on the surface. Infused with watermelon extract and a blend of avocado and jojoba oils, this tube provided the TLC I was looking for and I can even wear it as a gloss."
Soap and Glory Clean-a-Colada Body Wash, £6.50 for 500ml
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
"I'm the provider of shower gel in my house, forever bringing home different ones to try, from milky shower oils to foamy body washes, but never has one elicited such a positive reaction as this one. My housemate, who has zero interest in beauty and normally doesn't comment on the treats I bring home, even texted me to say he liked how bubbly it was. So that's why this Soap and Glory offering has found its way into Glossy Picks - a little bit goes a long way, fluffing up into endless moisturising bubbles. That, and the fact that it smells like tropical paradise (thanks coconut) and leaves skin feeling soft due to green tea extract."
Land & Water Bath & Body Oil, £20 for 100ml
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, beauty and wellness awards manager
"As a girl from the border of Devon and Cornwall, there is nothing that speaks to me quite like a body of water. Whether it be a lake, a river, or the ocean, us South-West folk love nothing more than being outside, preferably wrapped in a large knit sweater and staring longingly into a rippling blue abyss. So when a product arrives in front of me that not only evokes that feeling but is also created by a woman who fully embodies it, I can’t help but fall in love. Land & Water’s Bath & Body oil is simply sublime. Created with orange, ginger, lavender and geranium essential oils, the comforting scent fills me with all the good feelings. Not only that, but the oil itself is made up of a combination of vitamin E-rich sweet almond oil and high in omega-3 hemp oil. It is light yet moisturising and leaves the skin feeling supple. Bottled in 100 per cent post-consumer waste recycled bottles in a perfect stormy ocean navy blue, they make for the most aesthetically pleasing refillables. In a time where sustainability is just as important as product quality Land&Water has nailed both."
Kiehl's Powerful Strength Line-Reducing & Dark Circle-Diminishing Vitamin C Eye Serum, £41 for 15ml
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
"I’m all about vitamin C this week (see above) and it’s an ingredient Kiehls has form in (I eked out every last drop of its cult favourite Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate with 12.5% vitamin C ). Now it comes in an eye serum form with gold standard anti-ageing, brightening and de-puffing ingredients for dark circles and fine lines: 10 per cent vitamin C, peptides and hyaluronic acid. It’s not at all greasy or watery but finds a ‘just right’ point in the middle that left my under eye area looking smoother and more hydrated. I’m realistic about what en eye cream can do - dark circles are a complex issue that can be related to skin thinning as we age and no amount of cream can change that, but this is a powerful non-sensitising cream that feels comfortable to use and that made me look a little more refreshed."
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lip Volumizer, £25
Loved by: Melanie Macleod, digital writer
"I've long loved lip plumpers; I started with Too Faced's Lip Injection , graduated onto Soap and Glory's Sexy Motherpucker and have now moved onto this. It applies clear before turning a suits-all rosy pink. It has that minty taste that so many lip plumpers have, and even delivers a subtle tingle that makes me think the plumping powers are working. I don't think I'll have a pout to rival Kylie Jenner's anytime soon (a girl can but dream), but that's not to say I won't be constantly applying this. It's not at all sticky and leaves my lips feeling nourished long after the tingle has worn off."
Yes To Tomatoes White Charcoal Mud Mask, £11.95
Loved by: Jemma Thompson, digital designer
"I’ve been suffering from a lot of blemishes on my cheeks lately and this mud mask has been an absolute godsend in tackling them. What I love the most is the built-in sponge applicator; it’s the perfect targeted spot solution. I pop on a dab of product and the white charcoal detoxes and calms down my angry red little friends whilst adding a much-needed dose of hydration. Packed full of 97 per cent natural and vegan ingredients, this is something I’ll 100 per cent be reaching for in my spotty times of need."
Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream, £22 for 250ml
Loved by: Hattie Sloggett, beauty and wellness awards manager
"In keeping with the Valentine's theme of this month, I managed to get my hands on the perfect bunch of roses (see what I did there?) in the form of Balance Me’s Rose Otto range. There'S a face oil, a body wash and a body cream to choose from, although I suggest investing in the whole family as it really is glorious. However, for today’s review, I have chosen the body cream. Why? Because, at this time of year not only does my face get dry and dull, but my body becomes a scaly husk of its former self. I know, not a pleasant image, but don’t tell me that you haven’t experienced it before - especially on the legs, that have been covered with leggings, jeans, tights and possibly even a ski-suit for the last couple of months. Enter Balance Me’s Rose Otto Body Cream. It’s deeply hydrating, packed with arctic cloudberry (that is a real thing) antioxidants and quite frankly, just smells, absolutely incredible. No more itchy, dry skin. I slather it on at night and wake up to some super smooth pins ready and waiting for those Springtime midi-skirts to re-enter our life."
Sisley Phyto Hydra Teint Beautifying Tinted Moisturiser, £76 for 40ml
Loved by: Victoria Woodhall, editorial director
"If you love natural clean-looking skin but don’t want to go totally barefaced, this beautifully hydrating tinted moisturiser will repay your investment. It has a good natural-looking cake-free coverage that sees me through weekends when I don’t want to look whey-faced, but neither do I want to have my work face on. What I particularly liked is that it just sort if of ‘becomes’ your skin and for a moment you can imagine that this upgrade is really you. A colleague tried it and found it on the matte side - I find it more of a sheer finish and think oily as well as dry skins will love it. It has blurring ingredients and mineral SPF 15 which make it really more of a light BB cream. It comes in three shades, light, medium and golden. A handbag staple for spring, in my book."